Heel notching means

ABSTRACT

Means is provided for notching a shoe heel block to accept a wedge-shaped metal wear piece. The notching means is arranged for use in pressure applying apparatus of a sort heretofore available and adapts such apparatus to effect the notching much more readily than has previously been possible.

United States Patent 1191 Chafin et al.

1451 May 29,1973

[54] HEEL NOTCHING MEANS [75] Inventors: James M. Chafin, Atlanta; Henry R.

Padovani, Austell, both of Ga.

[73] Assignee: Textron Inc., Providence, R.I. [22] Filed: Jan. 24, 1972 211 April. N0.: 220,288

[52] U.S.Cl. ..12/42R [51] Int. Cl. ..A43d 79/00 [58] Field of Search ..12/42 R, 423

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,572,091 10/1951 Ashley'et al. ..'..12/42 R 2,700,168 l/l955 Buxton ..l2/42 R Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Atmrney-Channing L. Richards, Dalbert U. Shel'tc.

Francis M. Pinckney and Richards & Sheftc [57] ABSTRACT Means is provided for notching a shoe heel block to accept a wedge-shaped metal wear piece. The notching means is arranged for use in pressure applying apparatus of a sort heretofore available and adapts such apparatus to effect the notching much more readily than has previously been possible.

9 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PATENIE HAY 2 9 I975 SHEET 1 [IF 4 I I-IIEEL NOTCIWG MEANS CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION When metal wear plates are desired on the heels of mens shoes, a frequently used form are so-called V- plates which are wedge-shaped with a centrally arranged fastener aperture at which they may be secured in place as a heel block insert in the edge portion area that is subject to pronounced wear. Installation of the V-plate inserts necessarily requires notching of the heel block to accept them. This has heretofore been done with hand tools of various sorts that have required more skill and care in forming the notches than was reasonably justified in fitting the inserts snugly in place in proper relation to the heel block contour.

The notching means provided according to the present invention allows notching of the heel blocks to be accomplished as a simple operation that is gaged automatically for proper location and depth of notch without any particular attention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION tionally provided for guiding the notching cutter to a proper location in relation to the heel block edge and for setting the extent to which the cutter can be forced into the heel block, as described in detail further below.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of pressure applying apparatus in which heel notching means embodying the present invention is particularly adapted for use;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a V-plate for which notching is done by the means of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a FIG. 2 V-plate installed in place;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation showing the heel notching means mounted in the FIG. 1 apparatus and initially closing on a supported heel block for notching the same;

FIG. 5 is a corresponding side elevation showing the mounted notching means completely closed on the heel block in position to commence the notching;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the fixture that carries the notching cutter;

FIG. 7 is a bottom end view of the shank member in which the notching cutter is mounted;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the shank member as seen from the left in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a further side elevation as seen from the right in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is an additional fragmentary side elevation as seen from the line III-10 in FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of the notching cutter;

FIG. 12 is a corresponding bottom plan view;

FIG. 13 is a section detail at the line 13-13 in FIG. 1 l; and

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the blank from which the notching cutter is formed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The pressure applying apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 follows generally the arrangement disclosed in the previously noted prior US. Pat. Nos. 3,034,130 and 3,083,385 in that a frame structure 10 is formed to provide a positioning slideway for a vertically disposed pressure bar 12 having a pressure foot 14 at the lower end thereof and a rack 16 formed at one side thereof, and in that a hand wheel 18 is carried on the frame structure 10 together with gearing, as indicated at 20, for engaging the rack 16 to move the pressure bar 12 downwardly at substantial mechanical advantage.

The illustrated apparatus diflers principally over the prior patented arrangement in that a vertical tool post 22 is mounted on the frame structure 10 for interchangeably positioning selected tools for operation in opposed relation to the pressure bar and foot 12 and 14, and in that the frame structure throat is made con siderably deeper to accommodate the tool post 22 and a selected tool positioned at the upper end thereof in an aggregate height sufficient to allow easy positioning and removal of boots thereover.

FIG. 2 shows one of the so-called V-plates w for which the notching means of the present invention is arranged to prepare a heel block when used for that purpose in the FIG. I apparatus, and FIG. 3 shows a heel block h of a shoe s with a V-plate w installed in a notch prepared therefor.

FIG. 1 shows an upper portion of the vertical tool post 22 with an anvil 24 positioned at the upper end thereof for supporting the heel portion (or block) H of a shoe S with the shoe upper inverted thereover, as indicated in broken lines, and a lower portion of the pressure bar 12 with a heel notching fixture embodying the present invention hanging from the pressure foot 14 above the heel block H.

The tool post 22 is arranged at its upper end for interchangeably positioning the anvil 24 at a bore 26 proportioned to receive an anvil shank 28 with a sliding fit so that the anvil 24 may be set in place for use or removed when not needed by simple hand manipulation. The tool post bore 26 extends sufficiently deeper than the length of the anvil shank 28 to allow formation of an intersecting transverse bore 30 that provides clearance openings in tool post 22 through which any debris or extraneous material falling into the bore 26 that would prevent proper seating of the anvil 24 may be removed.

Additionally, a locating hole 32 is drilled lengthwise from the upper end of tool post 22 through the annular wall surrounding bore 26 to a depth opening into the transverse bore 30. This locating hole 32 is provided to receive a locating pin (not shown) on any tool to be positioned on tool post 22 that must be held against rotative shifting thereat, such as nailing heads of the sort described in the previously noted prior patents. The 10- cating hole 32 is drilled through to the transverse bore 30 so that it can also be readily cleared of foreign objects whenever necessary.

The heel notching fixture embodying the present invention that is hung from the pressure foot 14, as detailed in FIGS. 6 through 14, includes a notching cutter 34 mounted at the lower end of a shank member 36 having its upper end fitted with a plate element 38 just enough wider than pressure foot 14 to carry upstanding and inwardly facing rabbet flanges 40 in which the pressure foot side edges are engaged for hanging support of the notching fixture. The notching cutter 34, which has a V-shaped cutting edge configuration to correspond with the V-plates w for which the notching is to be done, is formed from a blank 34 as seen in FIG. 14 that is cut from 0.083 inch annealed spring steel strip so that the angled blank edges 42', at which the cutting edges 42 are subsequently formed, run substantially with the grain or lengthwise of the strip. The blank 34' is doubled symmetrically to the V-shape needed in the finished cutter 34 as shown in FIG. 12, and the blank edges 42', which are angled at 15 with respect to the opposite square edges are ground toward the inside at an angle of 25 to form the cutting edges 42 shown in FIGS. 11 and 13. v

For mounting of the notching cutter 34, the bottom end of shank member 36 (see FIGS. 7-10) is slotted at 44 in correspondence with the V-shape to which the cutter blank 34 is doubled so that the inner walls of slots 44 closely fit the inner faces of cutter 34. The bottom of slots 44 is angled lengthwise at 15 so that the cutting edge 42 of the mounted cutter 34 is disposed horizontally, and the slots 44 are cut into shank member 36 at a 9 outwardly inclined angle to compensate for the canted disposition of the mounted cutter body, which is held in position by set screws 46 installed in threaded-openings 48 extending laterally through the shank member 36 to the slots 44 so that the cutter 34 remains removable for sharpening or replacement.

The shank member 36 is also axially drilled and counterbored (or reamed) from its bottom end to receive a plunger member 50 and a bias spring 52 therefor, and is drilled and tapped from the top end to receive a bottoming pin 54 and containing set screw 56 therefor. The plunger member 50 is notched at one side, as seen at 50' in FIG. 6, so that a stop pin 58 installed laterally in shank member 36 to extend into the axial counterbore thereof serves to hold the assembled plunger member SO-against the bias of spring at a normal extended position a little less than level with the cutting edge 42 of notching cutter 34, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 5.

In addition, the shank member 36 carries a guide element 60 having a gooseneck nose portion 60' depending below the notching cutter 34 with the tip of the gooseneck terminating adjacent the cutting edge 34, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The guide element 60 is secured on the shank member 36 by a lateral mounting screw 62 and is also fitted with a set screw 64 arranged to bear laterally on shank member 36 for adjustably setting the adjacent position of the tip of gooseneck nose portion 60. The mounting screw 62 further serves to carry a spring 66 so that it extends laterally in relation to shank member 36 to bear slidably at a vertical throat portion of frame structure for laterally positioning the hanging notching fixture properly for the notching operation.

The manner in which the notching operation proceeds is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. When the notching fixture is first hung in place on the pressure foot 14 it will be positioned initially by the lateral spring 66 so that the edge of a heel block H supported on the anvil 24 will be contacted initially by guide element intermediate the gooseneck nose portion 60, as shown in FIG. 4, upon downward movement of pressure bar 12 to apply the notching fixture.

Because the rabbet flanges 40 by which the notching fixture is hung on pressure foot 14 leave the fixture free to shift laterally on pressure foot 14, and because the notching fixture will still be hanging freely from pressure foot 14'when this initial contact is made, further downward movement of pressure bar 12 will cause the gooseneck nose portion 60' to force lateral shifting of the notching fixture against the bias of lateral spring 66 until the tip of nose portion 60 reaches the edge of heel block H, as seen in FIG. 5, to position the notching cutter 34 in proper relation thereto, so that it is only necessary to have placed the shoe S on the anvil 24 with the heel block H turned to present the edge portion thereof that is to be notched for a V-plate w in order to have the notching cutter 34 guided properly into position.

With the notching cutter 34 closed in this manner on heel block l-l, continued downward movement of pressure bar 12 then begins to apply pressure from handwheel 18 through the pressure foot 14 and shank member 36 to force the notching cutter 34 into the heel block H. As this happens the plunger member 50 is brought to bear on the heel block portion that is being notched so that it is forced upwardly within the shank member 36 against the bias thereon from spring 52 until it bottoms on pin 54 which will have been set for the depth of notch desired by set screw 56.

Upon such bottoming the handwheel 18 is released to release in turn the plunger bias spring 52 and cause the handwheel 18 to act in flywheel fashion for retraction of pressure bar 12 and consequent withdrawal of notching cutter 34. At the same time the plunger member 50 will be restored to its normal position by spring 52 so as to act as a knockout for clearing notching cutter 34 of the wedge that will have been notched from heel block H and that will be withdrawn therefrom by cutter 34 as it is withdrawn. The shoe S bearing the notched heel block H is then free to be removed from anvil 34 for replacement by another shoe to be notched, or for removal of the notching fixture and anvil 34 to allow installation of other tools or fixtures which may be needed for other operations.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise to exclude any variation or equivalent arrangement that would be apparent from, or reasonably suggested by, the foregoing disclosure to the skill of the art.

We claim:

1. Heel notching means comprising an anvil for supporting the heel portion of a shoe with the shoe upper inverted thereover, a notching cutter disposed for opposing application at the heel block wear surface of an inverted shoe supported by said anvil, means for positioning said notching cutter in proper notching relation at said heel block wear surface during application of the same thereat, pressure applying means for forcing the positioned notching cutter into said heel block, and

' pression to a set extent and thereby set the extent to which said cutter can be forced into said heel block.

3. Heel notching means as defined in claim 2 and in which said notching cutter is formed to present a V- shaped cutting edge and said plunger is positioned within the V-shape of said cutting edge so as to be depressed by said heel block at the portion thereof being notched and to serve also as a knockout means for clearing said cutter of the notched heel block portion after each notching is completed.

4. Heel notching means as defined in claim 2 and in which said shank member additionally carries said notching cutter positioning means in the form of a guide element having a nose portion extending to contact the edge of a heel block as said cutter is applied thereto so as to position the cutter in relation to said edge before the cutter is forced into the heel block.

5. Heel notching means as defined in claim 2 and in which said notching cutter is mounted in said shank member so as to be held in fixed relation while remaining removable for sharpening or replacement.

6. In means for applying pressure to the heel portion of a shoe in which a frame structure is formed to provide a positioning slideway for a vertically disposed pressure bar having a pressure foot at the lower end thereof and a rack formed at one side thereof, and in which a handwheel is carried on said frame structure together with gearing for engaging said rack to move pressure bar downwardly in said slideway at substantial mechanical advantage, the improvement which comprises a vertical tool post mounted on said frame structure and arranged at its upper end for interchangeably positioning selected tools for operation, an anvil positioned at the upper end of said tool post for supporting the heel portion of a shoe with the shoe upper inverted thereover, and a notching cutter mounted in a shank member formed for hanging from said pressure foot above said anvil and for forcing said notching cutter into the heel block of a shoe supported on said anvil from downward movement of said pressure bar by said handwheel.

7., The improvement defined in claim 6 and in which said shank member is formed to be laterally shiftable on said pressure foot when hanging freely therefrom, in which said shank member additionally carries a guide element having a gooseneck nose portion depending therefrom below said notching cutter, and in which a spring extends laterally from said shank member to bear slidably at a vertical portion of said frame structure for positioning said shank member laterally on said pressure foot so that upon downward movement of said pressure bar said guide element initially contacts the edge of said heel block intermediate the gooseneck of said nose portion and acts to shift said shank member laterally on said pressure foot against the bias of said spring until the tip of said nose portion reaches said heel block edge to position said notching cutter in relation thereto.

8. The improvement defined in claim 7 and in which said notching cutter is formed to present a V-shaped cutting edge for cutting a wedge-shaped notch at an edge portion of said heel block, and in which said shank member is also fitted with a biased plunger positioned within the V-shape of said cutting edge so as to be depressed by said heel block at the portion thereof being notched and to act by bottoming in said shank member as a gage of the depthwise extent of said notch as well as to serve for clearing said cutter of the wedge-shaped heel block portion removed as each notching is completed.

9. In means for applying pressure to the heel portion of a shoe in which a frame structure is formed to provide a positioning slideway for a vertically disposed pressure bar having a pressure foot at the lower end thereof and a rack formed at one side thereof, and in which a handwheel is carried on said frame structure together with gearing for engaging said rack to move said pressure bar downwardly in said slideway at substantial mechanical advantage, the improvement which comprises a vertical tool post mounted on said frame structure and arranged at its upper end for interchangeably positioning selected tools for operation in opposed relation to the pressure foot at the lower end of said pressure bar, and a fixture formed for hanging from said pressure foot above a selected tool positioned at the upper end of said tool post, said fixture being formed to be laterally shiftable on said pressure-foot when hanging freely therefrom and having a spring extending laterally therefrom to bear slidably at a vertical portion of said frame structure for positioning said fixture initially in relation to said selected tool and allowing any necessary lateral shifting of the fixture on said pressure foot against the bias of said spring as said pressure bar is moved downwardly to close the fixture on interposed work at said selected tool. 

1. Heel notching means comprising an anvil for supporting the heel portion of a shoe with the shoe upper inverted thereover, a notching cutter disposed for opposing application at the heel block wear surface of an inverted shoe supported by said anvil, means for positioning said notching cutter in proper notching relation at said heel block wear surface during application of the same thereat, pressure applying means for forcing the positioned notching cutter into said heel block, and means for setting the extent to which said cutter can be forced into said heel block.
 2. Heel notching means as defined in claim 1 and in which said notching cutter is mounted in a shank member together with a biased plunger positioned to be depressed by said heel block as said cutter is forced therein and to bottom in said shank member upon depression to a set extent and thereby set the extent to which said cutter can be forced into said heel block.
 3. Heel notching means as defined in claim 2 and in which said notching cutter is formed to present a V-shaped cutting edge and said plunger is positioned within the V-shape of said cutting edge so as to be depressed by said heel block at the portion thereof being notched and to serve also as a knockout means for clearing said cutter of the notched heel block portion after each notching is completed.
 4. Heel notching means as defined in claim 2 and in which said shank member additionally carries said notching cutter positioning means in the form of a guide element having a nose portion extending to contact the edge of a heel block as said cutter is applied thereto so as to position the cutter in relation to said edge before the cutter is forced into the heel block.
 5. Heel notching means as defined in claim 2 and in which said notching cutter is mounted in said shank member so as to be held in fixed relation while remaining removable for sharpening or replacement.
 6. In means for applying pressure to the heel portion of a shoe in which a frame structure is formed to provide a positioning slideway for a vertically disposed pressure bar having a pressure foot at the lower end thereof and a rack formed at one side thereof, and in which a handwheel is carried on said frame structure together with gearing for engaging said rack to move pressure bar downwardly in said slideway at substantial mechanical advantage, the improvement which comprises a vertical tool post mounted on said framE structure and arranged at its upper end for interchangeably positioning selected tools for operation, an anvil positioned at the upper end of said tool post for supporting the heel portion of a shoe with the shoe upper inverted thereover, and a notching cutter mounted in a shank member formed for hanging from said pressure foot above said anvil and for forcing said notching cutter into the heel block of a shoe supported on said anvil from downward movement of said pressure bar by said handwheel.
 7. The improvement defined in claim 6 and in which said shank member is formed to be laterally shiftable on said pressure foot when hanging freely therefrom, in which said shank member additionally carries a guide element having a gooseneck nose portion depending therefrom below said notching cutter, and in which a spring extends laterally from said shank member to bear slidably at a vertical portion of said frame structure for positioning said shank member laterally on said pressure foot so that upon downward movement of said pressure bar said guide element initially contacts the edge of said heel block intermediate the gooseneck of said nose portion and acts to shift said shank member laterally on said pressure foot against the bias of said spring until the tip of said nose portion reaches said heel block edge to position said notching cutter in relation thereto.
 8. The improvement defined in claim 7 and in which said notching cutter is formed to present a V-shaped cutting edge for cutting a wedge-shaped notch at an edge portion of said heel block, and in which said shank member is also fitted with a biased plunger positioned within the V-shape of said cutting edge so as to be depressed by said heel block at the portion thereof being notched and to act by bottoming in said shank member as a gage of the depthwise extent of said notch as well as to serve for clearing said cutter of the wedge-shaped heel block portion removed as each notching is completed.
 9. In means for applying pressure to the heel portion of a shoe in which a frame structure is formed to provide a positioning slideway for a vertically disposed pressure bar having a pressure foot at the lower end thereof and a rack formed at one side thereof, and in which a handwheel is carried on said frame structure together with gearing for engaging said rack to move said pressure bar downwardly in said slideway at substantial mechanical advantage, the improvement which comprises a vertical tool post mounted on said frame structure and arranged at its upper end for interchangeably positioning selected tools for operation in opposed relation to the pressure foot at the lower end of said pressure bar, and a fixture formed for hanging from said pressure foot above a selected tool positioned at the upper end of said tool post, said fixture being formed to be laterally shiftable on said pressure foot when hanging freely therefrom and having a spring extending laterally therefrom to bear slidably at a vertical portion of said frame structure for positioning said fixture initially in relation to said selected tool and allowing any necessary lateral shifting of the fixture on said pressure foot against the bias of said spring as said pressure bar is moved downwardly to close the fixture on interposed work at said selected tool. 